Alcohol Related Deaths Statistics

(Updated April 2024)

Barbecue and alcohol seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, in the barbecue culture, it's almost as though it's assumed you can't barbecue without the aid of an accompanying beer (or few).  For that reason, we feel like it would be our responsibility to use this platform to at least raise some awareness of alcohol abuse. Let’s look at some numbers regarding alcohol related deaths statistics

Quick Alcohol Related Deaths Statistics

  • Alcoholism ranks 3rd in preventable cause of death in the United States, just after Tobacco use and poor diet. 
  • There are 3 million alcohol-related deaths per year worldwide.
  • 95,000 alcohol related deaths occur in the United States annually.
  • 5.3% of all global deaths per year are related to alcohol use in some way. 
  • 25.8% of adults report they have engaged in binge drinking in the past month.
  • 31% of driving fatalities are due to alcohol impaired driving.
  • 25% of all deaths for persons aged 20-39 can be attributed to alcohol.
  • Men with alcoholism have a life expectancy of 47-53 years, women have a life expectancy of 50-58 years.
  • People with alcoholism tend to die 24-28 years earlier than their peers.

Alcoholism ranks 3rd in preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco use ranks first, and poor diet and physical inactivity are second. There are approximately 3 million alcohol-related deaths per year worldwide, which account for 5.3% of all global deaths. 

Alcohol Consumption Statistics

What percentage of people drink alcohol?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2019 showed these figures:

69.5% of people over the age of 18 drink at least once a year

54.0% of people over the age of 18 report that they have drunk alcohol in the last month, while 25.8 of people ages 18 & over report they have engaged in binge drinking in the past month.

6.3% of people report heavy alcohol use in the past month. 

For men, binge drinking is defined as “consuming 5 drinks in a 2 hour period.” Binge Drinking for women is defined as “consuming 4 drinks in a 2 hour period.” Heavy alcohol use is defined as “binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month.”

Death by Alcohol

Almost ⅓ (31%) of driving fatalities are due to alcohol impaired driving. 

¼ of the total deaths for people ages 20-39 can be attributed to alcohol use.

Deaths related to alcohol use have at least doubled since 1999.

According to the American Psychological Association 72.558 people died from alcohol related issues in 2017, while 35,914 people died of the same issues back in 1999.

How many deaths are caused by alcohol each year?

In the United States, around 95,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year. More men than women die each year due to alcohol related causes; around 68,000 men and 27,000 women die each year in the United States. 

What is the percentage of alcohol related deaths?

Worldwide, 5.3% of deaths or 3 million deaths per year are linked to alcohol consumption. 7.6% of men and 4.0% of women die due to alcohol related issues each year.

In the age group 20–39 years, approximately 25 percent of the total deaths are alcohol attributable.

What is the average age of death for an alcoholic?

People that are hospitalized as in-patient for alcohol use disorder will live 24-28 years less than their same aged peers. Men who suffer from alcoholism have an average life expectancy of 47-53 years, while women’s life expectancy with an alcohol use disorder is between the ages of 50-58 years. 

Alcohol Related Deaths Statistics

Resources and Downloads

Data Sources